Religious Poetry is such a broad term. Anything dealing with the Spiritual realm can be deemed religious and it is not a far stretch of the imagination to call Walt Whitman a religious poet – for some people.
In that vain, I am looking at an obviously religious poem, “The Virgin Mary to the Child Jesus” though I am not sure if truly religious people would be happy with this poem.
Nevertheless, Robert Browning fell in love with her for this poem and I can understand why.
The poem is an interesting movement between worshippers and worshipped, Mary and God, Mary and Men and Mary and Jesus. In reading the poem, it is obvious, as it was in class, that the script here has been flipped. Mary is the object of worship – being that she is the mother of God’s son. In some ways, she is to be worshipped as much as Jesus himself!!!
What I find interesting here, and what we did not discuss in class is how this relates to a work like Frankenstein. If we compare the creation, Frankenstein, to someone like Mary, what happens? Instead of comparing Eve to Frankenstein, what happens if we interject Mary instead? Obviously, Mary is a descendent of Eve but what if we just use her as “Eve”.
I believe the issue here revolves around creation. What is the purpose of creation? Was the purpose of Frankenstein – was it not just some type of power play by Victor? In being “part of the process” of “creating” Jesus – is Mary thus put in the same power play? One could say it is the work of God – but what role does Mary have in creation and has she been marginalized to some extent?
There are two thoughts here, “is Mary a ‘power play’ of God’ – so that he could have a son? Is this true – does he just use her – use her womb? I am sure there are some feminist readings of this. However, more provocatively, is ‘Jesus’ a ‘power play of Mary’s’?
Granted, Jesus comes through the immaculate conception – but nevertheless, it appears in the poem that Mary understands her exalted status and is thus making some sort of ‘play for power’. One can argue that it is for equal footing but is it something more?
But more so, does the poem in some ways put Mary at an equal footing with God himself? Is that possibly what EBB is shooting for here.
(In that, God created Man and Woman – could he not have created Jesus without Mary? Would that not have been his operation mundi. But he did not and can look into various interpretations of this – but the bottom line is – Mary is just as equal as God in the creation of Jesus. )
I think the poem has some obvious power plays going on but I believe there may be a more powerful one that could be explored here – the elevation of Mary to deity level – to the level equal to God.
Is this not what Victor was trying to do? Is this not what Mary has done.
In that vain, I am looking at an obviously religious poem, “The Virgin Mary to the Child Jesus” though I am not sure if truly religious people would be happy with this poem.
Nevertheless, Robert Browning fell in love with her for this poem and I can understand why.
The poem is an interesting movement between worshippers and worshipped, Mary and God, Mary and Men and Mary and Jesus. In reading the poem, it is obvious, as it was in class, that the script here has been flipped. Mary is the object of worship – being that she is the mother of God’s son. In some ways, she is to be worshipped as much as Jesus himself!!!
What I find interesting here, and what we did not discuss in class is how this relates to a work like Frankenstein. If we compare the creation, Frankenstein, to someone like Mary, what happens? Instead of comparing Eve to Frankenstein, what happens if we interject Mary instead? Obviously, Mary is a descendent of Eve but what if we just use her as “Eve”.
I believe the issue here revolves around creation. What is the purpose of creation? Was the purpose of Frankenstein – was it not just some type of power play by Victor? In being “part of the process” of “creating” Jesus – is Mary thus put in the same power play? One could say it is the work of God – but what role does Mary have in creation and has she been marginalized to some extent?
There are two thoughts here, “is Mary a ‘power play’ of God’ – so that he could have a son? Is this true – does he just use her – use her womb? I am sure there are some feminist readings of this. However, more provocatively, is ‘Jesus’ a ‘power play of Mary’s’?
Granted, Jesus comes through the immaculate conception – but nevertheless, it appears in the poem that Mary understands her exalted status and is thus making some sort of ‘play for power’. One can argue that it is for equal footing but is it something more?
But more so, does the poem in some ways put Mary at an equal footing with God himself? Is that possibly what EBB is shooting for here.
(In that, God created Man and Woman – could he not have created Jesus without Mary? Would that not have been his operation mundi. But he did not and can look into various interpretations of this – but the bottom line is – Mary is just as equal as God in the creation of Jesus. )
I think the poem has some obvious power plays going on but I believe there may be a more powerful one that could be explored here – the elevation of Mary to deity level – to the level equal to God.
Is this not what Victor was trying to do? Is this not what Mary has done.